Recap - 'Smallville': 'Masquerade'

When news footage of Clark's heroic exploits comes streaming in from around the world, Lois becomes concerned that his identity could soon be exposed. She suggests that Clark wear a mask as the Blur to protect his civilian life, but he dismisses the notion. Meanwhile, Chloe and a disguised Oliver meet in a club, stealing the reservation of an absent couple, the Joneses. Ollie receives a call from Mrs Jones, who is being held captive alongside several other kidnap victims in a dark, dank dungeon. The victims all begin to bleed from their orifices and collapse to the floor, dead. Their captor, Desaad, takes the phone and warns 'Mr Jones' that he will be next.

Oliver and Chloe are intercepted by a team of men, who are revealed to be FBI agents. They learn that the Joneses were not a real couple, but a pair of FBI agents investigating deaths related to the Darkness. At Desaad's crime scene, Clark investigates and saves a bumbling policeman from falling to his death, almost exposing his abilities to the public once again. Later, Clark visits the morgue to examine the victim's bodies, but the mortician, Blaine, is really Desaad in disguise. Clark spots black dots on the hand of one of the corpses, but Blaine claims that he merely spilt some ink on the body.

Tracking the origin of the Darkness's omega symbols, Ollie investigates Desaad's nightclub, but Chloe is kidnapped by the villain. Back at the Daily Planet, Clark tells Lois that there is no connection between the murder victims, but she shows him crime scene photos revealing that each corpse had a black stamp on its hand, precisely where Clark spotted the black dots. Clark realizes that 'Blaine' was lying to cover his tracks.

Reuniting with Ollie at Watchtower, Clark realizes that Desaad is an agent of the Darkness, killing people that he cannot convert. Clark decides to explore the address that Desaad's business is registered to, instructing an emotionally fraught Ollie to remain behind. In his dungeon, Desaad attempts to convert Chloe with taunting visions of her friends. She rejects the illusions of Clark, Ollie and Lois, and also refuses to murder Desaad when he gives her the chance. Having rejected the Darkness, Chloe is rescued just in time by Clark.

When Clark confronts Desaad, he confirms that he is an agent of the Darkness, or 'Darkseid'. As Desaad attempts to flee, Darkseid attacks Clark. Ollie arrives and stops Desaad, but the villain claims that he has already killed Chloe. Enraged, Ollie viciously beats him. At that moment, Darkseid releases Clark, allowing him to escape and convince Ollie that Chloe is still alive and safe.

At the Daily Planet, Clark finally agrees with Lois that he has been drawing too much attention to himself. Unwilling to mask his face as a hero, Clark decides to make his civilian identity the disguise, wearing a pair of thick-rimmed glasses and adopting a more awkward manner of behavior. He tells Lois that he will be ready for Darkseid's return, "hiding in plain sight". However, back at Watchtower, it is revealed that Ollie has been branded with the omega symbol, and is now an agent of Darkseid.

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